A Russian composer and virtuoso pianist known for sweeping, technically demanding piano works.
Sergei Rachmaninoff was among the last great composers of the Romantic tradition and one of the supreme pianists of the twentieth century. Born in Russia, he left his homeland for good after the Revolution of 1917 and eventually settled in the United States, where the demands of a concert career left him less time to compose. He had famously large hands and a commanding keyboard technique, and his music reflects both.
His writing for the piano is sweeping, richly harmonised and often very difficult — long melodies carried over full, resonant textures. The four piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini are pillars of the concerto repertoire, and his solo Preludes and Études-Tableaux are studied and performed the world over. Above the virtuosity, what endures is the deep, singing melancholy of his tunes.
Much of his solo music is for advanced players, so a learner is best served by approaching it gradually. Some of the shorter, quieter Preludes offer a first taste, while the famous Prelude in C♯ minor is a well-known — if demanding — goal. Rachmaninoff rewards a player who has built both strength and a warm, unhurried tone.